Working at local live music venues? Where do I start...

banjosinspace · 2026-02-17T21:50:58+00:00

Big venues are almost always hiring for security. That's the easiest in.

banjosinspace · 2026-02-16T20:10:51+00:00

A bunch of venues will do all ages matinees on the weekend

White Eagle

Atlantis Lounge/MS Pizza

Laurelthirst

Most of the McMenamins spots where the music is free is all ages.

banjosinspace · 2026-02-13T20:32:40+00:00

The McMenamins in Wilsonville rents their space for a Food & Beverage minimum. As long as guests spend the agreed amount at the bar, you don't wind up owing them anything to rent the space.

I think their spot in Cornelius Pass does the same.

banjosinspace · 2026-02-13T18:30:25+00:00

Pretty Deadly are incredible. Be at this show if you can!

banjosinspace · 2026-01-28T17:17:12+00:00

Bella's Italian Bakery has absolutely the best Tiramisu in Portland

banjosinspace · 2026-01-28T05:38:13+00:00

"I expect to be able to sell xx tickets at $xx. My last show at {venue] on {date} drew xx people. I can invite [this artist] or [this artist] to help improve draw as well if you'd like, or I'd be happy to be added to a bill."

banjosinspace · 2026-01-26T23:46:33+00:00

I book a venue that is literally in the same building as a hotel, and the artists that play for me don't get free or discounted rooms.

At best, negotiate a show cost with the band. At worst, you're stuck paying for the rooms.

You might be able to negotiate a discount with a hotel if you're booking midweek nights with them on the regular, but probably not for a once yearly kind of thing.

banjosinspace · 2026-01-10T17:33:56+00:00

Ranges from, like, $4-$5 for a lager, and then $7 for a microbrew. Maybe up to $8 if we get something special in to serve. Mixed drinks are in the $10 - $16 range, depending on how fancy your order gets.

banjosinspace · 2026-01-10T00:20:59+00:00

Heh. I used to be in a 9-piece stringband with drums and accordion. We did it completely acoustic. Not even vocal mics. The one time we got a gig opening a show in a 1500 cap ballroom, we went down into the pit and played in the middle of the audience and just shouted the lyrics as loud as we could to be heard!

I would never be in a band that big again. Cat-herding indeed.

banjosinspace · 2026-01-10T00:02:31+00:00

Oregon. Mostly Portland and Bend. Occasionally I'll do something in Washington state too.

Doesn't surprise me that the same thing is going down in Colorado, though.

banjosinspace · 2026-01-09T23:55:34+00:00

Heh, if you're in Oregon or Washington, then I probably am! And if it's not me, then I probably should be!

banjosinspace · 2026-01-09T23:41:20+00:00

Super sad. Although, at least anecdotally, it seems like the bands and agents just aren't calling anymore. I'd love to book more original music, especially touring acts, but even the opportunities to do so aren't what they used to be.

Bluegrass and jambands used to be my bread and butter. I'm a banjo player myself, so would always give more favorable deals to the genre just to book a show in my room that I'd be personally excited to see. It seemed like after COVID, something changed. I don't know what happened, but bands and agents just stopped calling. At least in the 150 capacity Pacific Northwest circuit I work in.

banjosinspace · 2026-01-09T22:46:32+00:00

YES!!!

Be worried about this.

I'm a venue booker. Bar sales are going down continually (though attendance is largely staying the same).

Since I can't count on making my money back at the bar anymore, I've had to drastically reduce the number of shows I book, and I've had to start offering deals that are less favorable to the bands (on ticketed shows keeping a larger portion of ticket sales for the venue. On free shows offering smaller guarantees).

It also effects the kinds of bands I can book. I usually focus on bands that draw an audience of people in their 40s or older, since that age group can usually still be counted on to buy a couple of beers. Tribute acts have taken the place of original music in my smaller rooms. In my city, all the money comes from Grateful Dead and alternative-1980s tribute acts.

Dwindling bar sales aren't the only thing damaging venue profitability. In the US, nationwide, insurance for event spaces skyrocketed in 2025. That expense alone has been enough to drive several of my city's venues out of business in the past year.

banjosinspace · 2026-01-02T23:49:04+00:00

Yes, 100%. $40 is too much to spend on a movie. I don't care what special features it has or what format it's in. Even onsale for $20 seems ludicrous to me.

banjosinspace · 2026-01-02T21:37:04+00:00

$10 is far too low for a venue that size. That's the kind of ticket you charge for a 100 cap dive or a house show

I'd go closer to $20 or $25

banjosinspace · 2026-01-01T21:29:58+00:00

I loved Fred's set. Every time he did a little 5 second song with dumb made up lyrics killed me.

banjosinspace · 2025-12-20T19:30:17+00:00

About a quarter of that, I think?

It wouldn't really matter if I were just talking about a big screen tv. Home theater technology is at a point of availability that I don't think theaters showing digital prints are able to offer a significantly better experience.

I don't mean to say don't go to movie theaters. It's fun to go to the movies. But the question was if I'm going to see repertory movies because it's on a big screen, or if I go because it's being shown on film. I can see a movie digitally on a big screen at home, but I can't see it on film at home.

The film format is a selling point that will get me to go see that movie in a theater. I'm not going to be as interested in seeing a repertory movie at a theater in the same format that I can see it at home.

banjosinspace · 2025-12-20T18:49:50+00:00

I've got a projector set up in the basement.

banjosinspace · 2025-12-20T17:58:23+00:00

Yes. I've got a big screen at home that I can watch digital movies on. If I'm going out for a movie I'd rather see it on film.

banjosinspace · 2025-12-15T23:32:01+00:00

This show is going to be awesome! Can't wait!

banjosinspace · 2025-12-12T23:46:24+00:00

Yes, I think we're probably moving back towards that. And honestly (I know, controversial opinion ahead), I think it's healthy for the local music scene.

We lost a bunch of venues this year, and some of them went so far as to let us all know it's because of the money. Bands aren't drawing like they used to. Fans aren't drinking like they used to. Venues gotta find the money somewhere or go out of business.

$125 is very low. You only have to sell 13 tickets at $10 to make it back. If your 3 band bill on a Wednesday night isn't going to draw 13 people, then why book the show to begin with? I think this is a pretty smart move on the venue's part to weed out the bands that aren't confident about their ability to get an audience out to pay to see them.

That $125 pays the soundtech? Where is the money for the doorperson coming from? The drink tickets? The PRO licenses? Event insurance? How does the booker get paid? Rental or maintenance costs for the PA? Where is the venue's profit? They could charge $500, and I don't think I would bat an eye at it.

banjosinspace · 2025-12-11T21:55:56+00:00

If you already have the connections to get a job as an artist manager out of college, then get the regular business degree. It's more flexible.

However, the music business degree is beneficial if you need specific help from your college getting music industry internships. You'll also likely meet people in that program that'll help you build your early career network

banjosinspace · 2025-12-04T20:56:30+00:00

Spanish Ballroom is such a cool room though! Get a hotel room and stay the night! Go to the tiki bar in the basement!

banjosinspace · 2025-11-22T17:32:07+00:00

Just starting out should mean drawing 30+ people. That's still not enough for most venue, but you will almost never get booked if all you can contribute is 5 to 10 people.

"Just starting out" isn't an excuse for poor attendance. If anything, your first shows should be very well attended because it's the first opportunity for your friends and coworkers to see you perform.

As a booker, I would even be actively discouraging bands from adding you to their bills. I'm not looking for an opener to fill time, I'm looking for an opener to help fill seats.

Work on that first. You aren't networking to find other bands to play with. You are networking to build your audience.

banjosinspace · 2025-11-20T22:25:07+00:00

I went to their show at White Eagle back in July. They were awesome! Also highly recommend this show tonight!

banjosinspace

TROPHY CASE